Navy finds crashed jet off Florida Keys, decides to leave it

KEY WEST, Fla. — The Navy has found a jet that crashed off the Florida Keys, but the aircraft might be staying at the bottom of the ocean.

Lt. Russ Chilcoat said in a news release Thursday that parts of the F-5N jet have been recovered, but the rest is under about 3,000 feet of water. He said the Navy has no immediate plans of recovering the rest.

The jet went down Wednesday afternoon about 20 miles southeast of Key West. The Navy says the jet was conducting training operations. The crash’s cause wasn’t immediately reported.

The pilot ejected and was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard with no apparent injuries. He’s attached to Fighter Composite Squadron 111, the “Sun Downers,” based at Naval Air Station Key West.

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